Bus routes 55 and 15 have been confirmed as the latest to be converted to Boris Johnson’s flagship New Routemaster buses.
When the buses were first unveiled Mr Johnson hailed their open rear door design which he said harked back to the capital’s iconic original Routemaster.
However safety concerns meant Transport for London was forced to cover operators’ costs of employing a second crew member to supervise use of the rear platform during movement, adding significantly to each route’s costs.
Last year the TfL board were told that future routes would run “entirely” in One Person Operated (OPO) mode, meaning the rear platform will be closed while the bus is running and only open when the bus pulls up at a stop.
The move removes the need for a second crew member, helping reduce TfL’s costs.
TfL says the two routes, both of which are operated by Stagecoach, will undergo a “phased conversion” to the new vehicles.
London Assembly Member Darren Johnson said: “The Mayor has paid a real premium for hop-on, hop-off buses, but has had to cut the extra money it cost to put the so called ‘conductors’ on them. Half of the routes with these new Routemasters don’t open the doors between stops and the other half only do it for part of the day.
“The design of the bus looks nice on the outside, but there are design problems on the inside such as no windows, a cramped upstairs and problems for wheelchairs access. It is a badly thought through and expensive vanity project.”
